Canadians living with mental illness experience poor access to care, worse health outcomes and premature mortality. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are uniquely positioned to address these inequities, yet their role in mental health remains underoptimized. This commentary highlights three evidence-informed priorities for nurse leaders: (1) removing systemic barriers to NP role integration, (2) strengthening NP education in mental health and (3) leveraging nursing leadership to drive policy and practice change. Drawing on recent evidence of the critical role of nurse leaders in integrating physical and mental healthcare, we stress the importance of nurse leader advocacy across policy, organizational and clinical domains, to champion the NP role and its contribution to comprehensive care. Doing so will improve mental healthcare delivery and reduce disparities. The time for action is now.

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